In your article about the woman picking up rubbish from the towpath, Jackie Powell writes.
I see that Canal & River Trust say that 'however she is one of hundreds of volunteers who help by picking up other people's rubbish'.
I walk my dog on the towpath from Armitage to around Handsacre and back daily, and notice the rubbish scattered about that is obviously left by people from either the chippy just over the canal bridge or the pubs, who have obviously purchased snacks and then took a stroll on the towpath, then using it or the canal for disposing the many wrappings as a rubbish bin.
There did not seem to be anyone cleaning it up as there was more and more as time went by, and in fact it was a couple of the boaters whose boats were moored on that stretch that I saw clearing it up, one telling that rubbish was getting a disgrace these days, but she told me she attempts to keep it clean by their boat.
She also telling me that if there is any picking up of rubbish it is only done in the towns and never out in the country were fewer people will see it!
However, going into Rugeley I did notice the difference, as being in a town the towpaths were reasonably tidy as obviously the council had kept them clean.